Hypothyroidism

youmnahm96

I recently found out that I have hypothyroidism and I've tried to do some research to understand what I should and should not eat in order to improve my metabolism, but I'd appreciate more insight. I was wondering if I need to increase my calorie intake to improve it? I am 5 ft 4, female, and I am incidentally also in the middle of a month-long weight loss plateau.

romanaXOX

metabolism boosting foods would include green tea, cayenne pepper/black pepper, caffeine and making sure you are really well hydrated and getting enough sleep and nutrients

The amount that you're eating (within reason) isn't so much important as the quality of what you're eating. Read: more nutrition rather than empty calories in candy, chips, white carbs and so on.

HOWEVER

if you are medically diagnosed with hypothyroidism (my little sister is as well) then I would recommend discussing it with a medical professional because there are medications that can help as well depending on the severity of your condition.

Cherimoose

Aside from getting your TSH within normal levels through medication, it's the same approach as anyone else wanting to reduce body fat - eat the right number of calories, do vigorous cardio / sports often, and follow a full-body strength training program. Other factors are important too, but people at a plateau usually need to improve those 3 things, whether hypothyroid or not. What is your current exercise routine?

lin7604

stay away from soy with hypothyroidism! i have been hypo for 15 years and only in the last year have i gotten my numbers normal and where they should be! i almost forgot what it felt like to feel normal! i still am a freezer box but feel 100% better now!

youmnahm96

Aside from getting your TSH within normal levels through medication, it's the same approach as anyone else wanting to reduce body fat - eat the right number of calories, do vigorous cardio / sports often, and follow a full-body strength training program. Other factors are important too, but people at a plateau usually need to improve those 3 things, whether hypothyroid or not. What is your current exercise routine?

I am currently doing Jillian Micheals 30 Day Shred everyday along with 30 minutes interval running 3 times a week, and 30 minutes of any strength/bodyweight/full-body cardio routine from youtube on the other 4 days. And I eat just under 1400 calories daily, but I worry that I am eating too much, and now the hyothyroid issue came up and I'm sort of panicking that i'm doing something wrong.

youmnahm96

stay away from soy with hypothyroidism! i have been hypo for 15 years and only in the last year have i gotten my numbers normal and where they should be! i almost forgot what it felt like to feel normal! i still am a freezer box but feel 100% better now!

I heard of the problem with soy so I'll keep that in mind. But I also heard that calcium is bad too? That sucks because I eat a lot of greek yogurt in an effort to increase my protein intake...

meshashesha2012

i dont have hypothyroidism but a friend of mine does. she mentioned to me that she also has to watch out for raw kale and chard because those apparently also affect the issue.

maybe you can ask your doc for a list of foods to watch out for?

littlelexical

Its amazing how much your General GP doesn't know about Thyroid issues. Its also amazing how much they go by the results of your tests (which they normally dont test for all the things that are needed to give a true indication of your thyroid function) instead of how you feel - if your symptoms are getting better etc.

I have both thyroid issues & PCOS - but just looking at what I have researched / found out / started following for thyroid purposes for you (and why) :

Firstly - you need to know that your Thyroid needs iodine to fuction properly - So you want to make sure you are doing everything to allow your body to access and process that. Thyrosine & selenium both help your body process iodine - so get some of that into you too

Secondly - Chlorine, fluroide, bromide block the absorption of Iodine by the body - Avoid them. If, like us Aussies - you are blessed enough to have chlorine put in your tap water by your government - You may want to look elsewhere for your water. Look for a non-fluronated toothpaste.


Avoid / limit goitrogens - they cause the thyroid gland to enlarge & (basically) act like and anti-thyroid drug. They are naturally occuring in some foodss (broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, leafy greens, sweet potato - heaps heaps more) which, due to the amazing amount of other nutirents they provide, you may not want to limit entirely.
If you cook goitrogenic vegetables well, the enzymes involved in the formation of goitrogens are partially destroyed by the heat - even in this form, try and limit them to a few times a week.

Avoid Soy - it is a major endocrine disruptor, is goitrogenic - explained above.

Sugar, junk food, deep fried foods etc causes inflammation and inhibits the easy conversion of T4 to T3.

Please, wash your fruit and veg before consumption - most have been sprayed with pesticides, most of these contain bromine or fluroide.

People with Thyroid issues MAY have an issue with dairy - if you think you may, limit them, and try to use organic and "full fat' (there is some discussion about the conversion of full fat to skim which talks of processes which can involve chlorine - personally I have not found enough out about it either way - I also prefer the taste of full fat - So avoid 'skim' anything & work the tasty stuff into my daily allowance)

Try to avoid meat packed with homones & antibiotics, deli meats are a big one - normally loaded with dextrose, nitrates, sulpahtes & sugars.

I've gone so far personally as to cut out all makeups/cleaning products/personal care products which use goitrogenic chemicals. Most people dont realise how much we actually absorb through our skin of what we put on our skin - there are some fantastic 'natural' products out there... where i cant find natural (or paraben / pthalate free) cosmetics - i leave them for 'special occassions' rather than daily use.

So - there is more - but - im not so good at condensing my pages and pages of writting - so how about i focus on some of the things which will help now, which you can add in to your diet?

Iodine. -Iodonised salt - seaweed, seafoods & salt water fish (be careful where and what - lots of fish is exposed to mercury, antibiotics, 'waste', etc - You really want to avoid these kinds as mercury directly poisons the thyroid gland etc.
Cranberries, are great for iodine too! And eggs- seriously - eggs are fantastic!

Tyrosine - Goat Cheese, avocados, Potatoes are all rich in these. Beans are particularly good & also high in fibre. Chicken and turkey are great sources of tyrosine too - remember organic where possible.

Selenium - Brazil nuts (no more than 2 a day!) are my first choice for selenium - high concentration in a small little package! Garlic and onion are also great for selenium. (selenium helps convert your T3-T4)
If you dont have issue with dairy, full fat milk products in moderation are also a great source of selenium.

Certain herbs are believed to increase metabolism which hare reported to ahve a positive effect on the thyroid, chillies, ginger, cinnamon, tumeric, peppermint, corriander, parsley, rosemary etc
Corriander is fantastic as it reduces heavy metals (esp mercury) in the body - So if you are having fish - pair it up with corriander

*breathes* And that, is a brief introduction to what I have found out for myself - after my drs recommende4d low carb (full of leafy greens & veg), no dairy (swapping to soy) and other various things... Admittedly, it appears they were reciting what might help one 'lose weight' (on 800cals/day) not what would neccessary actually help fix the issue.

A general day for me involves

Breakfast:Organic full fat yoghurt, blueberries, ground cinammon & some other form of allowable fruit for breakfast (apple, mango, cranberries etc)

Morning snack: brazil nuts, & some other nuts (macadamia & hazel nuts best for thyroid after brazil nuts (I have almonds or walnuts - which are not recommended for thyroid but are for my PCOS - its a balancing act!)

Lunch: Corn thins or a lettuce leaf with equal weights meat (tuna/chicken or turkey) cottage cheese & Avocado

Afternoon tea: Often a cuppachino (having a hard time limiting coffee - but make sure not to have it, or dairy near my thyroid tablets!) with a sprinkle of cinnamon, some dark choc, more of lunch, or some veg sticks with dip or cheese.

Tea: meat & salad - trying to incorporate some 'good' things like a potato, or a curry/chilli etc.

I was REALLY bad at dieting to lose weight - as with the thyroid/pcos combination - it was ridiculous - especially with the advice i was getting.

Now Im not dieting as much as I am trying to feed my body what it needs to fix itself & function better... I cant even beign to explain how much better I am feeling.

littlelexical

A quick 'thing' too, after that long essay (sorry)

You don't have to be extremist and cut everything out, or add everything in -surely some change is better than none - you have to work out which things are important to you to keep, or lose, or change.

In light of that - don't just accept what you are told if it is a blanket statement (ie. Don't have soy!) - always ask why? Even (hesitently, i say "especially") if it is from you GP.

WHY should or shouldn't you have it - what exactly does it do - and become friends with google or a nutritionist & learning what is a reputable source (unfortunately non-reputable information seems far greatly repeated - so don't just think because you see it lots, makes it right)
I find nutrient breakdowns of foods & finding out (in an new/fresh search from the nutrient break down) "effects of 'insert nutrient' on thyroid" is helpful.

Best of luck - feel free to friend/message.

jadedone

i dont have hypothyroidism but a friend of mine does. she mentioned to me that she also has to watch out for raw kale and chard because those apparently also affect the issue.

maybe you can ask your doc for a list of foods to watch out for?

The cruciferous veggies are culprits when raw. I am the aforementioned friend.

I also find when my TSH levels are the slightest bit out of whack, everything is off. Weight loss plateaus, cravings, tiredness and no periods. I am 4 years in now and still not quite right all of the time.

I also find intensity is really important. Doing steady state cardio does absolutely nothing for me, intense is better. I have also found that lower carb is better for me. When things are in sync, it isn't too hard to stick to starches at two meals a day vs all 3. Your mileage may very. On the flip side, I need at least 45% carbs to stay happy. 60% is too many.

Unfortunately I have had far more than my fair share of plateaus, so the most important lesson I can give you is to find other non scale things to measure progress against, so you don't get too frustrated when the scale sucks. Strength training is great for this.

meshashesha2012

^ you're like a ninja or were your ears burning? :laugh:

indpharexp

I recently found out that I have hypothyroidism and I've tried to do some research to understand what I should and should not eat in order to improve my metabolism, but I'd appreciate more insight. I was wondering if I need to increase my calorie intake to improve it? I am 5 ft 4, female, and I am incidentally also in the middle of a month-long weight loss plateau.

Hey
I have a nice list for you. This list includes what you have to eat and what you don’t have to, you will definitely find some change in your thyroid function after following it.
What to eat:
• Low fat cheese
• Cow’s milk
• Eggs
• Low fat ice cream
• Low fat yogurt
• Saltwater fish
• Seaweed (including kelp, dulce, nori)
• Shellfish
• Soy sauce

What not to eat or eat a little less: The following will slows down the function of thyroid gland. This will stop your medication to release thyroid hormones.
• Almonds
• Cauliflower
• Millet
• Pears
• Turnips
• Brussels sprouts
• Corn
• Mustard
• Pine nuts
• Cabbage
• Kale
• Peaches
• Soy (Isoflavones block iodine)
• Canola oil
• Peanuts
• Spinach

littlelexical

Personally, i would avoid soy sauce - as - it contains soy. The iodine it provides can be easier found elsewhere without the thyroid debilitating properties.

Supposedly 'we' should aim for approx 150mgs of iodine per day - 1/2tsp of iodized salt contains 142mgs.

HTH